IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  ^MT-S) 


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I.I 


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1^  Ui  |2.2 
Ht    |l£    12.0 


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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


K^- 

S'^'^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  canadien  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  tachniques  at  bibliographiquaa 


The  Inttituta  hat  attamptad  to  obtain  the  bast 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Faaturas  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibllographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checited  below. 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


[~~1    Covers  damaged/ 


D 


D 
D 


D 


D 


Couverture  endommag^a 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur^a  et/ou  pelliculAe 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  giographiquas  an  couleur 


□    Coloured  init  (i-e.  other  than  blue  or  blacic)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

I      I   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avac  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr6e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  la  long  de  la  marge  intdrieure 

Bl»nl(  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certainas  pages  blanches  ajoutAes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais.  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  filmies. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentalres  suppldmentaires; 


L'institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Las  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  do  vue  bibliographlique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mithode  r^uiir^ale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


r~~|   Coloured  pages/ 


D 
D 


Pages  de  couleur 


□    Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagAes 

I — I    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


Pages  restaurAes  et/ou  pellicul6es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxe< 
Pages  d^coiories,  tachat^es  ou  piqudes 

Pagas  detached/ 
Pages  d6tach6as 

Showthroughy 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualiti  inigala  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  matarii 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppl4mantaire 


I — I  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

I     I  Pagas  detached/ 

I      I  Showthrough/ 

r~n  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  matariai/ 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  fouillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  M  iilmees  h  nouveau  d«  fa9on  it 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  Is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  fiimA  au  taux  de  reduction  indlquA  ci-dessous 

10X                            14X                             1SX                            22X 

26X 

30X 

^ 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


ails 

du 

idiffier 

une 

lage 


Th«  copy  film«d  h«r«  hat  baan  raproducad  thanks 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 

Library  Diviiion 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

Tha  Imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  iaglbiiity 
of  tha  original  copy  and  In  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spaclficatiions. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  Impras- 
sion.  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  Impras- 
sion.  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  Illustratad  Imprassion. 


Tha  last  racordad  frama  on  each  microficha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  — ^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED ").  or  the  symbol  y  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  ara  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'axemplaira  fiimA  fut  reprodult  grice  A  la 
gAnirositi  da: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

Lea  imagas  sulvantas  ont  *tA  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin.  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattetA  de  I'axamplaira  film*,  et  en 
conformity  avec  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 

Lea  exempialres  orlginaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimAe  sont  fiimAs  en  commen^ant 
par  la  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impresslon  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  las  autras  exempialres 
originaux  sont  filmAs  en  commenpant  par  ia 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impresslon  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
derniAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE ',  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
film6s  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diffArents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reprodult  en  un  seul  ciichA,  11  est  film*  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


rata 


lelure, 
I  A 


3 


32X 


1 

2 

3 

12  3 

4  5  6 


L!^; 


*'  1  i  %  « I 


LEGISLATIVE  AE3LL 
NOV^>^  1900 


VICTORIA,  V .  C. 

[Reprinted  from  Scisnat,  N.  8.,  Vol.  IX.,  No.  SS4, 
Paget  6S6-6S9,  April  14,  1899.} 


ABOH^OLOGIOAL       INVESTIGATIONS     ON      THE 
NORTH  PACIFIC  COAST  OP  AMERICA. 

The  archaeological  work  conducted  on  the 
northwest  coast  of  America,  prior  to  the 
organization  of  the  Jesup  North  Pacific  Ex- 
pedition, was  not  extensive.  The  available 
knowledge  concerning  it  is  largely  confined 
to  three  publications — two  by  Dr.  William 
H.  Dall,  on  cave  and  shell -heap  remains  of 
the  Aleutian  Islands ;  and  one  by  Mr. 
Charles  Hill-Tout,  a  rhume  of  the  archse- 
ology  of  the  southwestern  portion  of  Brit- 
ish Columbia. 

The  archaeological  investigations  which  I 
carried  on  in  connection  with  the  Jesup 
Expedition  during  the  past  two  years 
dealt  chiefly  with  two  problems:  (1)  ex- 
amining the  archaeology  of  the  southern 
interior  of  British  Columbia  ;  and  (2)  in- 
vestigating the  shell-heaps  of  the  coast  of 
Vancouver  Island,  together  with  those  of 
the  adjacent  mainland. 

In  the  southern  interior  of  British  Colum- 
bia, more  particularly  in  the  valleys  of  the 
Thompson  and  Eraser  Rivers,  now  live 
tribes  of  the  Salish  Indians.  This  region  is 
one  of  almost  desert  dryness.  The  houses 
of  the  Indians  are  covered  with  a  roof  of 
timbers  and  earth,  and  are  partly  under- 
ground. Unlike  the  tribes  of  the  coast,  who 
have  such  an  abundance  of  the  few  staples 
— cedar,  seal,  salmon,  and  shell-fish — that 
they  depend  almost  exclusively  upon  them, 
these  people  have  to  resort  to  a  great  vari- 
ety of  natural  resources.     Primarily  among 


Slim 


them  may  be  mentioned  the  deer,  which 
famish  them  with  skins  for  clothing,  flesh 
for  food,  and  bone  and  antler  for  imple- 
ments. The  sagebrnsh-bark  is  used  for 
textile  fabrics.  Salmon  are  taken  for  food 
in  the  rivers,  and  berries  and  roots  are  ob- 
tained in  the  mountain  valleys.  Many  ob- 
jects are  made  of  stone.  They  bury  their 
dead  in  little  cemeteries  along  the  river, 
although  an  isolated  grave  is  sometimes 
seen.  Their  method  of  burial  in  the  ground, 
instead  of  in  boxes  deposited  in  trees,  in 
oaves,  or  on  the  ground,  the  conical  form 
of  their  lodges,  and  their  extensive  use  of 
chipped  points  of  stone  rather  than  of  those 
ground  out  of  stone,  bone,  and  antler,  ally 
their  culture  with  that  of  the  tribes  of  the 
East,  and  differentiate  it  from  that  of  the 
coast  people.  None  of  the  native  peoples 
of  British  Columbia  make  pottery,  and  no 
pottery  has  been  found  by  archseological 
work.  Food  was  boiled  by  dropping  hot 
stones  into  baskets  or  boxes  containing  it. 
The  archseological  remains  are  found  in 
the  light  sand  of  the  valleys  and  hillsides. 
The  wind  is  continually  shifting  this  dry 
sand  from  place  to  place.  For  this  reason 
no  definite  age  can  be  assigned  to  the  speci- 
mens secured.  It  is  certain,  judging  from 
the  complete  absence  of  European  objects 
at  many  of  the  localities  explored,  that  the 
remains  found  at  these  places  antedate  con- 
tact with  the  whites.  A.  number  of  them  must 
carry  us  back  several  hundred  years.  The 
modem  Indians  make  small  arrow-points, 
and  disclaim  the  large  kind  found  in  exca- 
vations. The  work  undoubtedly  proves 
that  these  ancient  people  and  those  now 
inhabiting  this  region  were  practically  the 
same. 


8 


Numerous  circular  depressions  were 
found,  indicating  the  sites  of  ancient  un- 
derground houses.  The  dry  climate,  and 
the  action  of  copper  salts,  preserved  bits  of 
skin  garments.  Portions  of  the  clothing, 
and  bags  that  were  made  of  the  bark  of  the 
sagebrush,  remain  in  the  dryest  places. 
Beaver-teeth  dice,  exactly  like  those  used 
by  the  present  Indians ;  digging-stick  han- 
dles made  of  antler,  similar  to  those  in  use 
to-day ;  charred  berries  ;  fish-bones ;  and 
skin  scrapers  made  of  stone— were  un- 
earthed. 

The  graves  were  found  in  groups  and 
also  singly,  as  is  the  case  with  the  modern 
ones.  The  bodies  were  buried  upon  the 
side,  with  the  knees  drawn  up  to  the  chest. 
They  were  wrapped  in  a  fabric  made  of 
sagebrush -bark,  and  were  covered  with 
mats  of  woven  rushes.  Over  the  forehead 
and  around  the  neck  were  strings  of  beads, 
some  of  copper,  others  of  dentalium-shell. 
At  the  side,  in  a  pouch  also  made  of  woven 
sagebrush-bark,  were  usually  found  such 
objects  as  pieces  of  glassy  basalt,  points 
chipped  out  of  the  same  material  for  arrows 
and  knives,  a  pair  of  grooved  stones  which 
were  used  for  smoothing  and  straightening 
arrow-shafts,  a  set  of  beaver-teeth  dice, 
bone  awls  and  needles,  quantities  of  red 
ochre,  copper-stained  clay  and  yellow  earth 
used  for  paint. 

The  beads  of  dentalium-shell  from  the 
Pacific  coast  probably  indicate  intertribal 
trade.  A  number  of  war-clubs  and  several 
small  animal  figures  carved  in  bone  were 
found.  The  handles  of  the  clubs  were 
artistically  sculptured  to  represent  human 
heads  with  plumed  head-dresses.  Such 
specimens  show  that  the  ancient  people 


were  capable  of  a  high  order  of  artistio 
carving,  which,  perhaps,  more  than  any  of 
their  other  work,  reserablee  the  products  of 
the  coast  culture.  Stones  burned  and 
crackled,  evidently  by  basket  or  box  boil- 
ing, are  found  at  all  the  village-sites  and 
shell-heaps  explored  in  British  Columbia. 

Several  specimens,  such  as  the  stone 
mortar  and  the  tubular  pipe,  remind  us  of 
the  types  found  in  Oregon  and  California. 
Ethnological  investigations  have  shown  the 
affiliation  of  the  recent  culture  of  this 
region  to  that  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  re- 
giion.  These  archseological  evidences  sug- 
gest that  this  similarity  was  even  greater 
in  the  past. 

Turning  to  the  problem  of  the  shell  heaps 
of  the  coast,  it  is  necessary  to  note  that  the 
present  tribes  of  the  coaf>t  of  British  Co- 
lumbia build  immense  houses  of  cedar 
planks.  They  depend  largely  upon  the 
cedar  and  other  wood  for  their  implements 
and  utensils.  The  bark  of  the  cedar  is 
made  into  garments,  bags,  mat>s,  and  the 
like ;  in  fact,  the  cedar  is  to  these  people 
what  the  bamboo  is  to  the  Japanese.  They 
rely  greatly  upon  salmon  and  shell-fish  for 
food.  The  seal  also  furnishes  them  with 
food  and  material  for  manufactures.  They 
have  developed  an  exceedingly  high  art  in 
carving  and  painting,  which  is  quite  char- 
acteristivT  for  the  North  Pacific  coast. 

The  most  extensive  remains  of  the  early 
inhabitants  of  the  coast  are  shell-htrnpe. 
Their  general  distribution  may  be  judged 
by  the  fact  that  in  the  region,  less  than  a 
hundred  miles  squs^re,  on  the  shore  of  the 
north  end  of  Vancouver  Island,  and  the 
mainland  opposite,  o^er  a  hundred  and  mfty 
were  noted.    In  g-enet^J  they  are  located 


at  the  monthg  of  fresh-water  streams,  and 
are  several  hundred  yards  in  length  by  five 
or  six  feet  in  depth,  while  a  few  are  miles 
in  length,  and  some   reach  a  maximum 
depth  of  over  nine  feet.    The  presence  of 
stumps  over  five  feet  in  diameter  standing 
on  nine  feet  of  these  layers,  of  which  but 
few  are  more  than  an  inch  or  two  in  thick- 
ness, indicates  a  considerable  antiquity  for 
the   lower    layers.     These    are    composed 
almost  exclusively  of  the  well  preserved 
shells    of    clams    and    mussels,    scattered 
among  which  are  found  a  very  few  points 
and  barbs  rubbed  out  of  bone,  su<!h  as 
were  used  recently  for  harpoons,  add  bone 
choppers    for    preparing    cedar^ark,    ex- 
actly like  the  implements  used  to-day  in 
the  manufacture  of  oedar-bark,  mate,ind 
clothing.    Numerous    stone    pebbles  with 
battered  ends,  such  aa  are  still  used  in  a 
game  resembling  quoits,  and  a  copper  oma- 
"mefilyin  shape  like  those  made  of  iron  and 
now  worn  in  southern  Alaska,  were  also 
found  in  the  heaps.    One  pair  of  these  or- 
naments, made  of  copper,  was  found  in  a 
grave  in  the  interior.   The  extreme  scarcity 
of  archsBological  specimens  in  the  very  ex- 
tensive  shell-heaps  of  northern  Vancouver 
Island  is  what  we  might  expect  if  the  early 
people  depended  as  largely  as  do  the^pi^: 
ent  natives    upon  cedar    products  easily 
disintegrated  by  the  warm^  tiioist  climate. 
The  scarcity  of  human  remains  in  the  shell- 
heaps  may  be  accounted  for  on  the  suppo- 
sition that  tree-burial,  where  the  bodies  fall 
and  are  soon  destroyed  or  the  bones  scat- 
tered,   was    as    extensively    employed    in 
former  times  as  at  present.    Everything 
which  has  been  found  tends  to  prove  that 
the  ancient  people  who  discarded  the  shells 


-^ 


forming  these  immense  heaps,  over  sucoes- 
sive  layers  of  which  forest  trees  have  grown 
to  a  diameter  of  foar  or  five  feet,  were  in  all 
essential  partioalars  similar  in  their  culture 
to  the  tribes  at  present  inhabiting  the  same 
areas. 

The  shell-heaps  in  the  delta  of  the  Fraser 
River,  while  in  general  resembling  those  of 
the  coast,  present  several  marked  diflTer- 
enoes.  There  is  much  more  black  soil, 
charcoal,  and  ashes  among  the  layers  of  the 
shell- heaps  here  than  in  those  along  the 
beaches  of  the  sea.  The  shells  are  much 
more  decayed,  and  mixed  with  the  black 
soil.  Among  the  layers  are  found  numer- 
ous  skeletons  of  two  didtinct  types  of  men ; 
and  the  proportions  of  specimens  to  the  ex- 
tent of  the  shell-heaps  is  vastly  greater 
than  in  the  other  localities,  the  specimens 
in  the  coast  shell-heaps  being  much  sepa- 
rated by  vast  amounts  of  shell  material. 
Whether  these  diflTerences  are  peculiar  to 
the  lower  Fraser  River,  or  are  common  to 
all  freeh-water  streams  of  the  region,  is 
problematical ;  and  their  cause,  whether 
due  to  a  change  in  the  customs  of  the 
people,  or  to  a  variation  in  the  people  by 
mixture  or  succession,  is  worthy  of  study. 

The  age  of  those  heaps  is  considerable. 
A  stump  of  the  Douglas  fir  over  six  feet  in 
diameter  stood  on  one  of  the  heaps  where 
the  layers,  there  reaching  a  depth  of  over 
eight  feet,  contained  human  remains.  This 
tree  indicates  an  age,  for  the  top  layers,  of 
more  than  five  hundred  years ;  and  allow- 
ing for  the  formation  of  eight  feet  of  strata  of 
shell,  ash,  and  earth,  most  of  which  are  but 
a  few  inches  in  thickness,  it  must  be  con- 
ceded that  the  bottom  layers  are  much 
older  than  this  rather  conservative  estimate 


for  the  minimum  age  of  the  top  layers. 
The  annual  rings  upon  an  ordinary  Btump 
standing  upon  this  shell>heap  numoered 
over  four  hundred.  The  circumference  of 
another  stump  exceeded  twenty-eight  feet. 

The  shell-heap  at  Port  Hammond,  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  Fraser  delta,  is  over  twenty 
miles  by  water  from  the  present  seashore, 
where  the  shell-fish  are  found.  By  land,  the 
nearest  point  of  seashore  is  over  ten  miles. 
Judging  from  the  customs  of  the  present 
natives,  the  water  route  would  be  used. 
But  they  prefer  to  live  near  the  shell-beds. 
It  is  hard  to  believe  that  any  of  them  would 
carry  shell-fish  from  the  present  seashore  to 
the  shell-heaps  at  Port  Hammond.  The 
distance  that  the  delta  is  built  out  into  the 
sea,  and  the  time  required  for  this  deposi- 
tion, may  furnish  us  some  information  as  to 
the  age  of  the  Port  Hammond  shell-heaps. 

There  is  no  apparent  difference  in  the 
character  of  the  specimens  found  in  the  re- 
cent and  in  the  older  layers.  The  general 
style  of  the  objects  is  similar  to  those  made 
by  the  present  tribes  of  the  coast.  Several 
exquisite  specimens  of  stone  and  bone  carv- 
ings were  discovered,  which  rival  in  artistic 
merit  the  best  sculpture  of  the  existing 
natives. 

Two  types  of  skeletons  were  found  which 
belonged  apparently  to  coexistent  people, 
aiS  they  were  excavated  from  the  same 
layers.  If  one  of  these  types  consisted  of 
captives  or  slaves,  there  WP3  nothing  in  the 
manner  of  burial  to  indicate  it.  Probably 
one  type  succeeded  the  other  in  occupation 
of  the  area.  The  fact  that  bodies  were 
found  in  shell-heaps  indicates  that  the  cus- 
toms of  this  people  must  have  differed  from 
those  of  the  people  who  formed  the  shell- 


hoaps  on  northern  Vancouver  Inland,  or 
that  the  former  people  was  sabjeoted  to 
other  influenoe. 

The  Hktiletons  found  were  deposited  at 
the  time  of  the  layers,  and  were  not  intru* 
sive  bu  rials,  as  was  clearly  shown  by  the 
numerouH  unbroken  strata  extending  over 
them.  The  bodies  were  usually  'ying  upon 
the  side,  with  the  knees  close  to  the  chest. 
Unlike  the  skeletons  in  the  interior,  these 
have  but  few,  if  any,  objects  accompanying 
them,  except,  in  rare  instances,  a  few  shell 
beads,  copper  objects,  and  chipped  and 
ground  stone  points  for  arrows,  spears,  etc. 
Such  specimens,  and  even  more  interesting 
objects,  were  frequently  found  in  the  layert. 

There  has  been  nn  apparent  movement  in 
prehistoric  times  of  the  Salish  of  the  upper 
Fraser  toward  the  coast.  The  skulls  found 
in  the  old  shell-heaps  of  the  delta  differ 
irom  those  of  the  present  coast  Salish.  The 
modern  coast  Salish  has  a  skull  apparently 
modified  from  this  by  admixture  since  com- 
ing  to  the  coast.  This  is  only  additional 
evidence  to  what  has  already  been  suggested 
by  unguistio  research.  A  movement  of 
such  importance,  and  its  attendant  influ- 
ences, may  account  for  certain  changes  in 
ethnological  customs,  such  as  the  rapid 
modification  of  the  method  of  burial  on  the 
southeantem  part  of  Vancouver  Island.  The 
earliest  known  kind  of  burial,  and  the  one 
that  is  known  to  have  antedated  contact 
with  the  whites  by  a  considerable  period, 
was  in  stone  cairns.  Later,  and  even  since 
contact  with  the  whites,  the  bodies  were 
placed  in  wooden  chests,  which  wor  'v 
posited  on  platforms  in  the  bran;  '  .'>  of 
trees.  This  method  was  changed  to  ao* 
positing  the  boxes  in  caves  or  oh  U%dQ 


€ 


of 


ifllandfl.  In  rmoh  oannA  a  canoe  watt  aome- 
ttmoH  I  *ed  instead  of  a  box.  Now,  under 
miRMionary  influence  and  legal  restraint, 
theHu  people  bnry  as  do  the  whiter  of  the 
region. 

The  cairns  come  within  the  field  of  ar- 
chsDological  investigation.  They  oouniat  of 
irregular  piles  of  bowlders,  fror  welvo  to 
twenty  feet  in  diameter,  thmwn  over  the 
body,  which  was  placed  in  the  usual  fltxed 
position.  In  most  oases  it  was  surronnded 
by  a  rectangular  vault  formed  by  placing 
the  straight  sides  of  four  or  five  bowlders 
toward  the  body,  and  covering  the  cyst 
thus  made  with  oui  or  two  slab-shaped 
rocks.  Over  this  the  rough  pile  of  the  c^irn 
would  be  reared.  A  few  copper  ornaments 
have  been  found  buried  in  cairns.  The 
skeletons  are  usually  much  decayed,  and 
complete  skulls  from  the  cairns  are  rarely 
obtained.  In  excavating  twenty-one  cairus 
in  1897  no  entire  bones  were  secured.  In 
1898,  however,  we  mot  with  better  success, 
obtaining  a  number  of  complete  skeletons. 

Several  burial-mounds  were  formerly 
located  along  the  lower  Fraser  River,  be- 
tween Hatzic  and  Port  Hammond.  The 
remains  in  them  are  usually  much  de- 
cayed, and  but  little  is  known  about  them. 
The  one  which  we  found  intact  was  ex- 
plored by  us,  and  its  contents  were  seen  to 
be  much  decayed. 

It  remains  to  find  material  upou  which 
to  reconstruct  a  knowledge  of  the  builders 
of  the  burial-mounds  of  the  lower  Fraser 
River.  The  map  showing  the  distribution 
of  cairns  should  be  completed.  The  marked 
difference  between  the  shell-heaps  explored 
along  the  salt  water,  and  those  investigat<ed 
in  the  delta  of  the  Fraser  River,  demands 


I     i 


i-i 


10 


that  inquiry  be  continued  to  determine 
whether  this  diflference  is  correlated  to 
salt-  and  fresh- water  shell-heaps,  to  heaps 
of  certain  geographical  areas,  or  is  due 
to  change  in  customs.  The  determination 
of  the  distribution  of  shell-heaps  of  both 
varieties  is  also  necessary.  Many  of  the 
specimens  discovered  in  this  work  are 
known  to  be  of  considerable  antiquity, 
and,  on  the  whole,  the  culture  shown  by 
the  archseological  finds  is  similar  to  that 
of  the  present  Indians.  It  is  consequently 
known  that  this  culture  has  continued 
practically  unchanged  during  recent  times. 
This  being  settled,  it  is  desirable  to  learn 
of  its  development,  for  which  it  is  impera- 
tive to  search  out  older  deposits.  These 
may  possibly  be  found  in  shell-heaps,  under 
cave-floors,  or  in  post-glacial  gravels. 

Hablan  I.  Smith. 

Amebigan  Museum  of 
Natubal  Histoby,  New  Yoek. 


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